Packing List

I must admit that I’ve already starting counting down the days until classes begin (24!) due to my sick obsession with things such as homework and learning. Excuse me for being cliché, but it seriously feels like only yesterday that I moved into my second summer housing room, and in a mere eleven days I’m scheduled to take up semi-permanent residence in the Terrace Apartments for the school year.

Whether you’ve already finished packing for school or barely thought about it, tis the season—and here it is: My packing list.

Take It:

Musical Instrument(s)—but please, for the sake of my ears, and everybody else’s for that matter, don’t crank up the volume of your electric guitar to full blast if you don’t know how to play.
Mattress Pad—highly recommended, unless you like to feel like you slept on a plastic board when you wake up in the morning.
Stereo—but personally, I recommend portable computer speakers considering all of my music is on my computer anyways.
Posters—a must. It’s amazing how less sterile the white washed dorm rooms feel with a little color.
Alarm Clock—there is no way I’d make it to class without one.
Hangers
Bathrobe—no, you will not have a private bathroom.
Computer
Printer—I’ve got 99 problems, and four of them are the printers at the library.
Surge Protector—your computer is probably your most important resource. Protect it.
Fan—I have four. What does that tell you?
Coffee Pot—the best way to save money at the dining hall is to brew your own. But make sure to get auto-shutoff!
Athletic Clothes/Equipment—don’t let the freshman 15 catch up to you.
Shelving
Refrigerator—for leftover pizza, of course.
Linens
Lamps—I prefer a room lamp and a desk lamp to the overhead light.
Laundry Supplies
Light bulbs
Toiletries—an extra toothbrush is recommended. Mine was stolen once and rediscovered later with alien toothpaste on it. I threw it away immediately.
Telephone
First Aid Kit
Rug—it adds a little coziness to your room.

Recommended:

Turn Table—to impress all of your friends.
Hot Pot with auto-shutoff—useful for making Ramen noodles and other typical college food.
Video Games—the easiest way to make new friends.
Vacuum Cleaner—I can put up with a mess, but filth is going too far.
Tape Recorder—especially recommended for social science students (I would know!).
Board Games
Bicycle and Lock

Leave It:

Family Heirlooms—aka every picture you’ve taken from the past 10 years; the gold tiara you inherited from Aunt Sally; your grandmothers wedding ring.....
Tiki Torches—major fire=major fine. And you don’t want to mess with Vassar Security. For a list of these items, check out: http://residentiallife.vassar.edu/prohibited.html
Your Officially Licensed Anduril Sword of Aragon—whether your intentions are show or kill, it will most likely scare your roommate and get you kicked out of housing.
Max or Fido—only animals that can be kept in a cage are allowed in housing. Bring your dog or cat and they’ll soon find out what life is like on the streets of Poughkeepsie.
Candelabrum—three candles=three times more trouble.
Your Life Size Cardboard Cut Out Of James Dean
Fireworks/Explosives/Anything Else Questionably Dangerous


Most importantly, use your common sense when packing. Especially if you are a freshman, it’s important to take space, and the type of relationship you’d like to have with your roommate, into consideration. I had a friend who had serious issues with his roommate, and trust me—it didn’t end pretty.

"No Golf For You!"

I have golfed on several occasions in the past, but I wouldn't consider myself a golfer. However, for the first time ever, I decided that maybe I'd take advantage of the low, $2 student price at the golf course and play nine holes with a friend. So after work Friday afternoon, my friend and I set out for the Vassar Golf Course, expecting to play a casual game and have fun. Well, having fun was poor anticipation on my part. As soon as we walked into the clubhouse to arrange a tee time, I knew that Friday was not my day for golf. "Excuse me?" the club manager retorted in disgust after I said that we were there to play golf. "Well, then you will need to change. I'd prefer that you wear a collared shirt, and no cut-offs," he said, pointing at my khaki shorts, which were quite clearly not cutoffs. I could hardly believe my ears. I've heard of golf courses having dress codes, but for a college course, especially Vassar, it seemed really strict. I definitely didn't see that one coming. Dress codes go against everything Vassar stands for, such as creativity and self-expression. In fact, compared to many of my classmates, I'd say that I dress pretty conservatively; and there was the club manager, staring at me as if I were naked. At that point, I decided that the Vassar Golf Course was no longer worth my time or my $2, and my friend and I left in a huff, certain that mini-golf was a better idea.

Considering my lack of golf skills, I'd consider myself a pretty skilled putter. After being denied a tee-time at the Vassar Golf Course, we went to a pretty large course on Route 9 in Wappinger Falls called "Fun Central," and it was at that point when I realized what normal Poughkeepsie families do on the weekends, and the answer is not "putt-putt." In fact, I think I discovered the key to child obesity when I noticed the huge number of kids inside playing video games as opposed to the few outside playing putt-putt. At one point, a little girl walked outside onto the mini-golf course and indicated to her father that she wanted to play. "No, you don't want to play that," he said, "Come back inside and play video games!" At that moment I felt like an undercover sociologist studying American family dynamics in relation to physical health. Spending a majority of four years of your life reading sociological texts will do that to you.

In order to end the day more successfully than it had started, an evening movie screening seemed like a safe bet. The great thing about Vassar is the ease with which you can hold your own private film screening. My friend and I went to Rockefeller Hall, and, finding Rocky 200 (one of few lecture halls on campus) unoccupied, we closed the shades, turned on the DVD projector, and brought "Some Like It Hot" back to the big-screen. Of course, my description makes it sound a lot easier than it actually was. At one point I was so frustrated that I called my boyfriend and asked him how the projector worked, and he replied, "How do you expect me to help you from 1000 miles away?!" But lo and behold, I eventually figured it out. While I was denied the ability to play golf on the Vassar course, it all seemed to even out after I figured out how to get both the sound and the picture to play at the same time.

As an end note, today marks exactly one month until classes start, three weeks until students come to campus, and two weeks until I get to move into my TA. Hold tight! A packing list is on the way....